The statements were made by the secretary general of the main opposition party, Álvaro Chikuamanga Daniel, at a press conference in which UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) presented its position on the political moment the country is experiencing.
The UNITA official regretted the "recurring arrest" of activists and underlined that this is a violation of the democratic rule of law, defending a broad social dialogue.
"This country has a direction, a government, a President. The one who should encourage national dialogue should be the President of the Republic, he should be the promoter of these talks, but unfortunately we notice a deficit in dialogue with the living forces of the Nation", he said. .
Among the "arbitrary arrests" UNITA mentioned the cases of activists detained on the 10th and 11th of January following the taxi drivers' strike and, more recently, on April 9th following the demonstration against the hiring of Indra, a company that will provide technical and logistical support for the general elections scheduled for August 2022, calling for his release.
Also at stake are members of UNITA, in the municipality of Sanza Pombo, where there were clashes between militants of this political force and the ruling party, MPLA, and women with children in their arms were arrested.
"These are repugnant acts, which constitute a recurring expedient of the autocratic regime in power, to terrorize, condition, silence opponents and critical voices of society", according to UNITA.
The "Black Rooster" party considered it "alarming" that thirty years after the institutionalization of multipartyism "the regime maintains the mentality and practice of a single party" and does not respect the will of citizens, creating barriers "against sound political, social and economic coexistence .
UNITA also condemned "the muscular stance adopted by the Executive to deal with strikes in the public sector", recalling that strikes and demonstrations are constitutional rights.
"UNITA urges the executive to dialogue honestly with workers in the health, education and teaching system, with a view to solving the issues facing these vital sectors and ensuring universal quality services to citizens", the party appeals.
